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28 Apr 2009 : Column 1273W—continued
Furniture: Government Assistance
Mike Wood: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he expects the credit insurance scheme to be available to small and medium-sized businesses in the furniture industry. [270203]
Ian Pearson: Budget 2009 announced a scheme providing up to £5 billion of additional trade credit insurance to businesses who have suffered reductions in their level of cover.
The scheme will be open to businesses of all sizes and in all sectors, including the furniture industry.
Subject to parliamentary approval, from 1 May until 31 December this year, UK businesses will be able to purchase six months' ‘top-up' insurance from the
Government if credit limits on their UK customers are reduced. The qualifying window will be backdated to include any reductions since 1 April.
Further details of the scheme can be found at:
Holiday Leave
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the annual cost to businesses of the increase in the annual statutory holiday entitlement from 24 to 28 days. [271005]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 24 April 2009]: In its election manifesto, the Government proposed an extension to the statutory entitlement to four weeks' paid holiday required under the EU Working Time Directive, making it additional to the number of bank holidays in England and Wales. This ensures all workers are entitlement to a minimum of 28 days holiday a year.
The extension was implemented in two phases to help small and medium businesses. The second phase extended the right from 24 to 28 days holiday a year. The cost to business of this second phase was estimated at between £1.8 and 2.4 billion. The estimated cost to business and benefit to workers comes from the Department's full impact assessment. As part of this assessment, the Department conducted a paid annual leave survey that showed the lowest paid, including part-time employees, women and those from ethnic minorities would benefit most from the increase in holiday entitlement.
LDV
Richard Burden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what progress has been made in discussions with the LDV Group on assisting the company in dealing with the effects of the economic downturn. [266378]
Ian Pearson: We have and will continue to offer advice and support to LDV where we can. However, the primary responsibility for LDV is with its parent company, Gaz.
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the effect on car dealerships should LDV go into receivership. [267252]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 27 March 2009]: No detailed assessment has been made of the effect on dealerships should LDV go into receivership. However, dealerships are eligible for support from a range of Government programmes and details are available at:
.
Members: Correspondence
Andrew Selous: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he plans to respond to the letters from the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire of 13 February 2009 and 3 March 2009 on his constituent Mr Simon Cavendish. [271001]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 24 April 2009]: I responded to the hon. Member on 21 April 2009. I apologise for the delay.
Mobile Phones: Minerals
Steve Webb: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will have discussions with representatives of the mobile phone industry to discourage the use in the manufacture of mobile phone batteries of minerals which may have come from conflict zones; and if he will make a statement. [267297]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 27 March 2009]: I have no current plans to meet representatives of the mobile phone industry to discuss this issue.
Motor Vehicles: Government Assistance
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (1) for what reasons the motorcycle industry is not eligible for assistance under the Automotive Assistance Programme; and if he will make a statement; [266576]
(2) if he will extend eligibility for assistance under the Automotive Assistance Programme to the motorcycle industry; and if he will make a statement. [266577]
Ian Pearson: Government receive numerous requests for assistance from a wide range of sectors and have to consider a wide range of factors when deciding to act. The decision to support the automotive industry during the current difficulties through the Automotive Assistance programme (AAP) was based around a number of factors. The industry is a major employer in the UK and a major investor in research and development. Additionally, the car industry is required to achieve significant reductions in carbon dioxide (C02) emissions from 2012. Motorcycles are not covered by the CO2 from New Cars Regulation and we do not intend to extend eligibility under the AAP to the motorcycle industry.
Postal Workers
John Cummings: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment has been made of the level of risk of anthrax infection to workers in Royal Mail postal sorting offices arising from terrorist action; and if he will make a statement. [271428]
Mr. McFadden: Central Government departments and the emergency services work closely with Royal Mail to ensure that effective procedures and measures are in place for managing the risk to the company's staff and operations and to members of the wider public from chemical or biological agents in the postal system. Royal Mail ensures that the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and Unite are actively involved in the development and introduction of procedures and measures in support of its response capability.
Regional Planning and Development
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what regional industrial development boards there are; what the correspondence address of each such board is; and whether each such board is co-located with a regional development agency. [269983]
Mr. McFadden: There are currently seven regional industrial development boards which together cover all nine English regions. They are listed, with their correspondence address, as follows. With the exception of the London and South East Industrial Development Board and the Yorkshire and the Humber and the East Midlands Industrial Development Board, each of which is co-located with two regional development agencies, the boards are co-located with a single regional development agency.
East of England Industrial Development Board,
East of England Development Agency,
The Business Centre,
Station Road,
Histon,
Cambridge CB24 9LQ.
London and South East Industrial Development Board,
London Development Agency,
Palestra,
197 Blackfriars Road,
London SE1 8AA.
South East England Development Agency,
Cross Lanes,
Guildford,
Surrey GU1 1YA.
North East Industrial Development Board,
One North East,
Stella House,
Goldcrest Way,
Newburn Riverside,
Newcastle Upon Tyne,
NEI5 8NY.
North West Industrial Development Board,
Northwest Regional Development Agency,
PO Box 37,
Renaissance House,
Centre Park,
Warrington,
Cheshire WAI 1XB.
Yorkshire and the Humber and the East Midlands Industrial Development Board,
Yorkshire Forward,
Victoria House,
2 Victoria Place,
Leeds LS11 5AE.
East Midlands Development Agency,
Apex Court,
City Link,
Nottingham NG2 4LA
South West Industrial Development Board,
South West of England Regional Development Agency,
North Quay House,
Sutton Harbour,
Plymouth PL4 0RA
West Midlands Industrial Development Board,
Advantage West Midlands,
3 Priestley Wharf,
Holt Street,
Aston Science Park,
Birmingham B7 4BN.
Union Modernisation Fund
Mr. Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2009, Official Report, column 1407W, on the Union Modernisation Fund, if he will place in the Library a copy of the action record of each of the decisions taken by the Supervisory Board to date. [270189]
Mr. McFadden: The records of decisions taken by the Union Modernisation Fund Supervisory Board will not be placed in the Libraries of the House because they contain commercially-sensitive information about unsuccessful bids. The results of successful bidders are published on the BERR website at:
Children, Schools and Families
Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the costs his Department incurred as a result of the Public Bill Committee on the Apprenticeship, Skills, Children and Learning Bill sitting beyond 6.30 pm on 26 March 2009. [270392]
Mr. Simon: I have been asked to reply.
The total estimated cost to the Department was £2,279.97. This comprised £1,423.03 to cover additional travel and accommodation expenses, and £856.94 in discretionary payments to officials who attended the session.
Children in Care
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the long-term outcomes for children who have been cared for in (a) family and friends care, (b) family and friends foster care, (c) stranger foster care and (d) adoption. [270224]
Beverley Hughes:
We do not collect data centrally on these discrete groups. However, research commissioned by the Department within the Quality Matters Research Initiative, suggests that on a range of measures—health, education, emotional and behavioural—children in family
and friends foster care tend to achieve similar outcomes compared to those in stranger foster care. An overview report of the Initiative will be published on 30 April. The findings from this Initiative will be disseminated to those working in the field and used to inform guidance.
Many of the arrangements for children in family and friends care that is not foster care are private in nature, where no services have been requested from the local authority, so we do not have information about long term outcomes.
The Adoption Research Initiative is exploring outcomes for children who have been placed for adoption or who are in other permanent placements, and will complete during 2010. The findings from this initiative will also be disseminated to those working in the field and used to inform guidance.
Long-term outcomes for looked after children are improving. For example, between 2004 and 2008, the percentage of such children now aged 19 years who were in education other than higher education increased from 18 per cent. to 28 per cent. But we recognise that more needs to be done. Our “Care Matters” programme of reform is designed to ensure continued improvement in outcomes for looked after children.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many family and friend (a) carers and (b) foster carers received no financial support in 2008-09. [270226]
Beverley Hughes: Family and friends caring for children who are not looked after by the state are a very broad group. Some will be caring for the child as a private family arrangement with the child's parents, where state intervention will not necessarily be appropriate, and the child and their carers may not be known to the local authority.
Where a child being cared for by their relative or friend is not a looked after child, but is assessed as being in need, the local authority has the discretion to provide support under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 to support their upbringing by their family. The Children and Young Persons Act 2008 made it easier for local authorities to provide financial support under section 17 where that is appropriate. The number of families being supported in this way is not collected centrally.
Where the local authority places a child with a relative or friend, so they are a looked after child, the family or friend must become approved as a foster carer and the fostering service provider must provide them with support on the same basis as for any other foster carer. Fostering service providers differ in the amount of support they provide. However, all providers should be paying their foster carers at least the national minimum allowance.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the average monetary level of financial support family and friend (a) carers and (b) foster carers received from each local authority in 2008-09. [270227]
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